Missing, Presumed Dead
by Social Escort
Summary: When Shawn goes missing, Gus and Juliet are forced to 'rally the troops' and go off the grid in order to bring him home safely. Major/minor spoilers for all seasons. Shules. Whump.


**Disclaimer: **I own absolutely nothing pertaining to Psych, except a couple of pineapples. All people, events, and locations, real or imagined, are used fictitiously. No lawsuits, please.

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><p>"Gus, don't be the twist ending in a Tarantino film. All I'm saying is we've had rough times before. This is just another bump in the road."<p>

"A bump, Shawn? A bump? This is more than a damn bump. Every time things are going good, you pull some stunt and land us in hot water with the chief."

"Exactly! Which means I'll figure out a way to fix everything, the same way I always do." He propped his feet on the desk without a care in the world, wondering where they were going to go for lunch.

"By hurling random and outrageous accusations, hoping one of them sticks?"

"Precisely."

Gus sighed and stood up, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. "I don't know about you, Shawn, but I like being able to pay my bills. I'm gonna have to pick up extra routes just to make ends meet this month."

"Oh, come on, this is just like the police academy thing. We get in trouble, no one likes us, but then we save the day! Bam! We're back in business, buddy."

"Goodbye, Shawn." He stormed out of the office, the slam of the door ringing through the now quiet space.

"We can do this, buddy," he muttered to himself, still not believing Gus had really bailed on him.

She had been thinking about what she would say to the Chief since it happened. Even if his behavior was outlandish, she had to defend him, right? They were dating. More than that, he was good at his job, even if he was usually wrong until the last minute.

But this... This was different. His actions had caused her partner to get shot, along with two other civilians. They were relatively minor flesh wounds, but still, they were gunshots. This wasn't a situation he could just talk himself out of, no matter how badly she wanted him to.

"Detective O'Hara, my office, now." The Chief hadn't even slowed down as she passed Juliet's desk, nor did she make eye contact. This wasn't going to end well.

She pushed herself to her feet and weaved her way through the station to the Chief's office. She knocked before she entered, just to be on the safe side.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Come in. Close the door." She did as she was told and walked over to a chair, trying to maintain her posture and dignity.

"Don't bother, Detective, you won't be here long." Yep, this really wasn't going to end well. "My understanding of the events that transpired yesterday must be mistaken, because there's no way one of my detectives would be in cohorts with our Psychic consultant on a case that he wasn't hired on in the first place. There's no way one of my detectives would be a party in getting their partner shot during a stand-off gone wrong. Please, Detective, tell me I'm mistaken."

"It wasn't like that at all, Chief. Mr. Spencer," she started, the professionalism oozing from her mouth, "called me yesterday morning and said he was having very strong psychic vibes about the case, and that Detective Lassiter was in danger."

"And did he happen to specify what type of danger? Or when it would happen?"

"Well, no-"

"Exactly. No, he didn't. This wasn't your call to make."

"With all due respect, Chief, given Mr. Spencer's track record, I wasn't willing to put my partner's life in jeopardy. I couldn't take that chance."

"I understand that, Detective. Believe me, I do. But the way you went about it is completely unacceptable. I'm afraid I have no choice but to place you on suspension, with pay, pending an internal investigation. I'll need your badge."

"But Chief-"

"That will be all, Detective," she said with finality. Giving a defeated sigh, Juliet placed her badge on the Chief's desk, a little more forcefully than she intended. With one last look, she stormed from the office, her mind buzzing with myriad thoughts and emotions.

She was halfway to her car when her phone sounded off, signaling a voicemail. She dialed in and listened to the monotonous voice until she was finally able to retrieve her message.

"Jules, there's way more to this case than we thought! It's nowhere near over. Meet me at the Psych office or call me back or something!" She really wasn't in the mood for this, for him, not now. Until she heard the gunshot. The glass shattering. "Hurry, Jules!" And the line went dead.

She jumped in her car and peeled out of the parking lot, repeatedly trying to reach Shawn to no avail. "Come on, Shawn, pick up... Please pick up..."

Panic was starting to set in now. She dialed Gus' number and waited ring after ring until it went to voicemail. "Gus!" she shouted into the phone. "Where's Shawn? Have you heard from him? Give me a call, it's important."

She slammed on the brakes in the parking lot and ran towards the office, already noticing the bullet hole in the front window. Fear clutched at her heart even as she drew her weapon and cautiously made her way inside. She did a complete search of the office, mentally saying 'Clear' as she passed through each section.

No Shawn.

His phone was on his desk; a sizable pool of blood on the seat of his chair with a spray pattern on the back. Her heart jumped into her throat, her adrenaline and fear running too high for tears.

Judging by the amount of blood, he wouldn't last much longer without medical attention.


End file.
